


Grudge Rule - The Eleventh Hour

by Kinsdura



Series: Grudge Rule [2]
Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: 100 percent less punching than part one, Alternate Universe, Hunter X Hunter Big Bang, HxHBB 2018, HxHBB18, M/M, just a hurricane of hurt feelings and confusing emotions, oh and a murder mystery to solve, strangely enough there is no violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-28
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-28 12:49:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 19,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15049430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kinsdura/pseuds/Kinsdura
Summary: In a world with timers instructing when your revenge can and can not be taken, Kurapika was able to encounter and quickly befriend Chrollo. Unbeknownst to the both of them, their meeting sparked someone’s death, forcing them to deal with their emotions for each other while also trying to professionally conduct a murder investigation.





	1. Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no see! Part two is here, just like I said! Also this series is definitely not going to be finished in just two parts; it may go into three or (science forbid) FOUR parts! Hopefully I figure it out soon (I will I promise), but for now, please enjoy Grudge Rule - The Eleventh Hour!

**Part II**

**The Eleventh Hour**

 

There was a devastated silence after Kurapika and Chrollo had received the news of Hisoka’s death, mostly consisting of Chrollo sitting motionless in a chair and staring nowhere in particular while Kurapika sat next to him, unsure of how to comfort the despondent man. After a few minutes of being in the uncomfortably quiet apartment, Kurapika tried to convince Chrollo to go check up on his former colleagues, not knowing if Chrollo would even respond or not.

“This has probably shaken them as much as it has you; we should probably go there and assist them in any way we can.”

“No,” Chrollo said, surprising Kurapika. The other man’s voice was hard and his face unreadable. “I’m sorry, but this is… more serious than you think.”

“More serious than I think? Chrollo, Hisoka is _dead,_ what is more serious than death?”

“That the killer was able to _defeat_ Hisoka, and get away _alive,”_ Chrollo countered, obviously trying to fight back any emotions he had, though he was doing a very poor job in concealing it.

Kurapika didn’t know what to do. It was all new to him; he’d no idea on how to act to the news of someone dying.

He had never experienced the pain of losing someone close, of having to cope with the event, while having to manage his feelings when being first confronted with it. He had counted himself lucky for never having known this, but now he wished that somewhere along the way that he had, so that he’d be able to better help Chrollo go through it.

“Kurapika, could you stay the night? I don’t…”

“I’ll stay,” Kurapika said, placing a hand on the side of Chrollo’s arm. “I’ll stay as long as you need me to.”

“...Thank you,” Chrollo finally said, giving what Kurapika figured was all he could muster of a smile at the moment. “I don’t want to lose anyone else tonight.”

The night was uneventful after that, Kurapika staying the night, close to Chrollo, and then being escorted rather protectively back to his house the next morning before his parents had even awoken. And now Kurapika sat, worrying over Chrollo and the whole of the situation of what had just occurred not even 24 hours ago.

He texted Melody and asked how she was holding up, but got no immediate response. He huffed, knowing that he shouldn’t expect one so soon, but couldn’t help but feel anxious.

_“‘That the killer was able to defeat Hisoka, and get away alive.’”_

Kurapika repeated Chrollo’s words to himself, feeling as if the more he said them, the more he worried about it. But they were true. Someone had taken out Hisoka and no one knew their motives or what their next move would be, if there was to be any “next move.” Kurapika groaned as he slid on his back and under his bed sheets, feeling helpless in this situation.

There were two knocks at his door, and then a voice spoke.

“Kurapika, are you back?”

“I’m back,” Kurapika reluctantly said, pushing himself up as he prepared for an interrogation.

“May I come in?”

“Of course.”

Kurapika’s dad walked in, still in his pajamas. Kurapika didn’t comment, but was relieved that it would be short, seeing as his dad had yet to retrieve his coffee.

“Your mother and I worried about you last night,” he began, sitting down awkwardly at the end of Kurapika’s bed.

“I’m sorry to have caused you trouble.”

His dad frowned.

“Don’t be, it’s a parent’s job to worry about their child, especially when their spouse somehow convinces you to watch serial killer documentaries ‘for fun.’” Kurapika’s dad said, shaking his head slowly, as if disappointed in himself for falling for such ploys.

Kurapika held back a laugh, but was unable to hold back his smile, his father’s presence making him grounded and relaxed.

“Mom always did like watching unnecessarily scary things.”

“It’s ridiculous,” his dad continued, still shaking his head. “She always goes ‘Eidos it’s okay, I won’t go overboard this time!’ and then picks something that has us both cowering behind the couch wrapped up in blankets as if _that’d_ give us any protection from the things we watch!”

“You’re ranting again,” Kurapika pointed out, and Eidos smiled.

“I am. But you are okay, right? No weird murder shenanigans last night?” his dad asked, not at all hiding his paranoia.

Kurapika paused, because he couldn’t actually say no without straight up lying to his father’s face, and he disliked the idea of doing so. He instead decided to skirt around the truth.

“Didn’t see any as far as I could tell.”

“Good,” Eidos said with a nod. “The world is full of danger Kurapika, I’m just glad you have people to look after you again. After Pairo left I had wondered if you’d be able to find companions again.”

Kurapika’s jaw tightened, but he forced a smile.

“How rude.”

Eidos stuck his tongue out.

“Not if I’m making you breakfast. It’ll be done in about twenty minutes, by the way.”

“Okay,” Kurapika said, waving his dad out. Eidos stuck his tongue out once more before closing the door behind him, leaving Kurapika to his thoughts.

 _Serial killer_ , Kurapika’s thoughts repeated back to him. He really hoped not. He didn’t like the idea either. Having one death was enough to bring people to their knees in mourning, but multiple? He couldn’t imagine what it could do to anyone, what it would do to _Chrollo_. Kurapika checked his phone, seeing that Melody still had yet to text back. He closed his eyes, and released the breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

_Serial killer._

He sat up quickly and got out of bed, getting dressed and ready for the day faster than he could remember in a long time. When he walked down stairs, his dad turned around.

“It’ll be done in fifteen- where are you going?”

“Out. I have something to do real quick,” Kurapika said, slipping his shoes on at the door. “I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

“Alright, be careful,” Eidos said, his words meaning more to Kurapika than his father could ever fathom.

“I will,” was the blonde’s reply, and then he was out.

The seconds crawled by into minutes, and the minutes dragged slowly into half an hour. The wait was almost driving Kurapika crazy by the time he heard the bus driver announce their arrival to Soasis City. When he got off, he basically ran all the way to Chrollo’s apartment, passing the other man’s car and panting as he reached the door marked 213. He subconsciously reached for the door but found that it was locked, causing an alarm to go off in Kurapika’s head.

He slowly moved his hand away from the handle, catching his breath as he tried to rationalize the purpose of the door, which had never been locked since he knew Chrollo, and why it would be locked of all times _now_.

“He’s probably out,” Kurapika told himself out loud, but he knew he wasn’t. He had seen Chrollo’s car parked outside, he had just passed it on his way to the stairs. Chrollo was home.

Kurapika breathed in and out in a steady pace, trying to calm himself down. He was overreacting, he had no business being here. He had told Chrollo he’d give him space, convincing himself he’d allow at least a week's worth of privacy, but yet here he was, back again and trying to barge in like he owned the place.

As he stood there, it took a while before Kurapika realized he had traveled all the way here only to stand at Chrollo’s doorstep with nothing but intense anxiety keeping him rooted in place. He hadn’t moved since arriving, and his legs were starting to ache at the strain of it.

Kurapika sighed, rubbing at his eyes as he turned around, ready to go back home to his dad, who was probably finishing up with breakfast by now. That is, until the door opened up behind him.

“Kurapika?”

The blonde whirled around at his name, not having anything to defend himself with for why he could _possibly_ be there. Again.

“I… uh,” he began, but paused when he finally _looked_ at Chrollo. “What… are you wearing?”

Chrollo glanced down at himself, then back at Kurapika, then back at himself.

“Uh… clothes?” Chrollo said unconvincingly.

Kurapika raised an eyebrow at that, turning completely towards him and crossing his arms. The older man was clearly wearing something akin to stealth gear, which Kurapika tried to not compare to some of the clothes he had seen worn in combat games.

“Really?”

“Really.”

They stared at each other in silence, both keen on saying nothing more until the other budged. Finally, Chrollo spoke up.

“You should go back home.”

“Your door was locked,” Kurapika countered. Chrollo stiffened visibly. “Let me in.”

“I… can’t do that.”

Kurapika frowned at the response, but tried to keep his tongue in check. Getting mad wouldn’t do him any good right now.

“Why not?”

“You can’t get involved with this.”

“With _what_ Chrollo?” Kurapika asked, his anger surfacing despite his logic telling him not to. He was exhausted, sick of worry, and _now_ he was being told that this wasn’t even his _problem?_ Like hell it was! “Get involved with Hisoka? Your old work place? _You?_ That’s a little too late to say that, especially after with what happened last night, don’t you think?”

Chrollo flushed, though Kurapika couldn’t tell if it was from rage or embarrassment, but just the mention of the night before had him wishing he’d kept that part to himself. Now all he could remember was how close he’d been to Chrollo, how they had held each other—

“It’s best to cut– no, it’s just best if you don’t associate yourself with me. Or anyone you met while with me. I’m sorry.” Chrollo said, face forced to look impassive as he began to close the door. Kurapika stepped forward and bodily got between the door and wall.

“If you push me out of this I will go looking for the killer myself, and there will be nothing you could do to stop me if I did.”

Chrollo gaped.

“You would _not—_ ”

“I would,” Kurapika affirmed, pushing the door open so that he could stand confidently in front of Chrollo. “Now it’s your choice to let me in on whatever you’re doing–” he gestured to the all black clothing Chrollo was wearing “–or push me away.”

Chrollo opened his mouth, then closed it, seeming to have an internal battle on what to do. It wasn't long before Chrollo pulled Kurapika inside and closed the door firmly behind him, locking it when he did. Chrollo’s demeanor had changed, but Kurapika was willing to bet it was because of how exhausted he was. Or at least, he hoped it was.

“The only reason you’re in here is because you’d get yourself killed otherwise,” Chrollo clarified, not even giving Kurapika another glance as he walked briskly into… what _used_ to be the living room.

Presently, the glass coffee table was pushed all the way to the side and out of the way of where all of the dark wooden cases littered the ground. The few that were open were facing away from where Kurapika stood, but the blonde had a suspicion on what they were. What _all_ of them were.

“Do you really need this much fire power?” Kurapika asked, leaning on the back of a couch as he did.

Chrollo turned and glared at Kurapika from where he had sat amongst the boxes, and Kurapika couldn’t help but feel his veins go icy from the look. Chrollo had never really been mad at him or even slightly upset during the time he’d known the older man, so feeling now that he was on the wrong end of Chrollo’s raw emotions was like a jolt into reality.

“You’ve clearly never been an assassin before,” was all Chrollo graced him with before setting back to inspecting his dozens of weapons, all ranging from sniper rifles to handguns to even a couple dozen grenades and combat knives. Kurapika frowned. Something was _definitely_ wrong.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Kurapika pointed out, seeing if he would receive the same treatment as before.

Chrollo paused in his work, holding a cleaning rag aloft from the weapon in his other hand. Kurapika could see that the older man’s knuckles were white, and the air changed from cold to tense, something Kurapika was hoping wouldn’t happen.

“I don’t need to give you one.”

Kurapika opened his mouth, but found he was too shocked to fight about what he’d just said. Chrollo took this as an invitation to continue.

“And as I told you, you shouldn’t get involved. And you _won’t_ as far as I’m concerned. Now, you can be ‘involved’ if that’s really what you want, but all it requires you to do is to just stay out of the way until it’s all done.”

Kurapika felt anger bubbling up inside of him again, and despite his best to check himself, he was really too tired to deal with Chrollo’s bullshit.

“You know something Lucilfer? Maybe you’re right. I shouldn’t involve myself with you anymore. And maybe I never should have in the first place,” Kurapika said loudly, standing when Chrollo looked over in surprise. He waited for Chrollo’s reaction, and when it only turned sour, Kurapika spoke up before he could. “Have a good day.”

He turned and went to the door, hearing Chrollo’s movements as he presumably got up from what he was doing, dropping what was in his hands as well. Kurapika turned the knob, but it stopped short, and the blonde cursed under his breath as he remembered Chrollo’s new locking policy. He managed to unlock it before Chrollo’s hand was on his left arm.

“Stop this.”

“Stop _what_ exactly?” Kurapika demanded, rounding on Chrollo, though the older man’s hand stayed persistently on his arm. “That I might possibly go after Hisoka’s killer? That I might leave here? That I might leave _you?_ ”

Chrollo’s eyes widened at that, his grip also loosening on his arm, but Kurapika didn’t stop. He was done here.

“Maybe I’ll do all three of those things. In fact, I probably will,” he opened the door with his right hand and gave Chrollo one last look, tearing his other arm free from the older man’s now slack grip. “I hate to say it, but Melody was right about you.”

With that said, Kurapika walked out and closed the door behind him, the tears he’d been fighting back finally breaking free and rolling down his cheeks when he finally left the vicinity of Chrollo’s apartment.


	2. Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can see it now, the questions of "Why did you make them fight Gold? What compelled you to do this?" The answer is nothing. I didn't do a damn thing. Those two fools fought by themselves and I just wrote it. I had to ALTER THE PLOT AROUND THOSE TWO! But that's fine. Everything is fine. I am a competent writer and I got this... I think...

The very next day Chrollo woke up crying, and it took himself a while to calm down before the scenes from the day before flashed through his head, releasing another wave of tears as he attempted to compose himself.

He had been so _stupid._ He knew he shouldn’t have been so standoffish with Kurapika, and yet he went and acted like a jerk anyway and pushed him even _further_ away.

A hand fell onto Chrollo’s back comfortingly, Feitan’s groggy voice sputtering out Chinese in the most comforting way the shorter man could think of despite being so dead tired.

_“Shhhh, no more tears brother. When we’re done, no more tears will be needed.”_

Chrollo nodded, knowing that Feitan was right. The older man looked over at all the paper files on the floor of the room and followed its trail out to the dining room, where both his and Feitan’s laptops sat, still running stats, locations, and suspects.

Chrollo sighed and pushed the heels of his palm into his eyes until he saw rainbow lights moving behind his eyelids. He tried to will them to take shape into something, _anything_ to distract him from the pain he had caused himself, but all the shapes and colors did was remind him of Kurapika’s last glance at him before stepping out of his house yesterday.

Chrollo had called Melody right after Kurapika had left, hoping she could clarify on what the blonde had meant by her being right about him, but all she did was get really concerned and asked what happened. And when Chrollo failed to tell her what she wanted, she hung up on him (in the politest way he’d ever been hung up on) and he hadn’t heard from her since.

He couldn’t even work on his weapons after that, instead putting them all back in place and stacking them in the corner of the living room, then opting out of eating breakfast to stare at the ceiling fan as he contemplated his life decisions.

Chrollo couldn’t recall how long he stayed there, let alone why he had gotten dressed up in his old stealth gear until he heard the doorknob rattle.

He falsely hoped it would be Kurapika, but seconds later he heard clicking noises that stopped for a quick second before his front door swung open heavily, hitting the wall hard enough to make his poor indoor fish swim in frantic circles in their tank at the unexpected shaking.

“Chrollo, may I ask what in the _fuck_ you are doing right now?” Feitan asked, stepping into his view a few seconds later wearing a gray poncho and a dark red scarf around his face.

“Regretting.”

“Tough. But you promised to meet me at eleven and it’s now half past noon.”

Chrollo internally sighed, closing his eyes to prevent any water from surfacing. He was exhausted, and needed a good cry. But he couldn’t do that now, not now that Feitan was here. Chrollo opened his eyes.

“Well... fuck.”

Feitan was silent, but he dropped his gear onto the couch and crouched next to his brother, studying him before asking softly in Chinese.

_“What happened?”_

_“I made a mistake.”_

Feitan scoffed as if that were obvious, but Chrollo couldn’t bother himself to feel offended. He had made many mistakes, but pissing off Kurapika and driving him away was by far one of the most consequential ones ever. He could deal with a few injuries, a few scars, a few weeks of recovery. But feelings? Emotions? Pain he couldn’t make go away with medication? It was _unbearable_.

A moment later and Chrollo heard the door close and the lock _click_ into place along with deliberate shuffling as the sound of boots hitting the carpeted floor of his apartment accompanied it. There was some more unhurried shuffling until Feitan’s body fell next to Chrollo’s, the shorter man also staring at the ceiling fan as it spun in the lazy circles of the lowest setting available.

 _“What did he do?”_ Feitan asked, and Chrollo knew who he was referring to, but immediately rejected it.

“He did nothing wrong.”

 _“Then why are you like this? You alone didn’t cause this,”_ Feitan accused, though it wasn’t meant to be mean. The shorter man elbowed Chrollo gently, nudging him to respond. Chrollo waited a moment before sighing, and taking in a shaky breath before responding.

_“He broke my heart.”_

_“That bastard–”_ Feitan immediately sat up, already pushing himself off the floor when Chrollo dragged him back to the ground.

“It’s okay, it’s _fine_ —”

“It is clearly _not fine_ Chrollo! You think I’m gonna let him get away with this? He better pray he has a powerful god or so help me—”

“Feitan!”

Feitan stopped, a thin, unhappy line present for his lips as his scarf fell from his face. He eyed Chrollo, as if ready to find any excuse to go after Kurapika, but Chrollo didn’t give him one.

“He only did it, because… I did it first…”

Feitan didn’t show any surprise if he had any, but his lips turned into a frown, unsure of the situation now.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I said some things I shouldn’t have and… fell back into a bad habit.”

“Which one?”

Chrollo grimaced.

“The impulsive and pushy one.”

Feitan gave an aghast look at him.

“What did you do? Why would you resort to-”

“I don’t know!” Chrollo interjected, covering his face with his hands. “I just- I don’t want him to get hurt… and that’s all I could think of. He wanted to be involved so...”

“No…” Feitan said, almost a little too dramatically, but it was appropriate for the moment. “Did you tell him his job was to _hide?_ Chrollo… that never went over well for anyone, especially if that’s their _only_ job…”

Chrollo cringed inwardly.

“I know, I know. I fucked up _royally_. And the worst part isn’t even that Melody could be hunting my ass down this very minute, or that Hisoka is dead and his killer is on the loose. The worst part is that I think he meant what he said when he said he was leaving me,” Chrollo groaned.

Feitan stilled next to him.

“He said that?”

“No? Yes? I don’t know! I just know that if he doesn’t come back, I wouldn’t blame him. After what I did, I wouldn’t want to be around me either. I’m a dangerous, dishonest man—”

“Stop it!” Feitan snapped, slapping him on his arm for good measure. “Don’t say that about yourself! You may be miserable but it’s not the end of the world. And as far as I’ve gathered, you’re doing this because you don’t want him hurt by Hisoka’s killer, right?”

“Right…” Chrollo hesitantly agreed, wondering where Feitan was going with this. His brother smiled a wicked smile that Chrollo couldn’t tell if it was a good or bad thing that he was already on board with whatever Feitan would say.

“Well, the killer can’t get to Kurapika if you get to the killer first now can he?”

Chrollo mustered a smile at what his brother was hinting.

“No, they can’t.”


	3. Comfort

Kurapika had to admit, he missed visiting Chrollo. It hurt more than he thought to not see him whenever he felt like it, and after what he told the older man, he wouldn’t be surprised that if he went back he would get completely rejected to even be in the other’s presence.

He wanted to cry, but he had done plenty of that last week. When he had gotten home, his father was overly concerned for him, but surprisingly didn’t ask any prying questions. Just sat Kurapika down at the dinner table, reheated breakfast for him, and sat next him to retell the ridiculous stories Anahita had sent him about her work.

Kurapika appreciated the gesture, glad that he could at least rely on his dad for troubles like this. Though, when Kurapika was about to explain everything, Eidos just shushed him and led him to the couch, handed him the remote, and told him to choose a movie.

“It’ll make you feel better. Whichever one you want; even if it’s scary, I’ll watch it with you.”

“But—”

“Kurapika,” his father started, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay. You don’t have to talk about it now. Take your time with it. I’ll listen when you want me to, but I don’t want you to feel obligated to tell me.”

Kurapika smiled at his dad, feeling tears well up in his eyes again but he ignored them, instead picking up the remote and scrolling for a movie. He avoided any he knew had any type of romance in it, which ended up proving difficult seeing as most movies did, but he eventually settled on a documentary on astrophysics and how they corresponded with the solar system.

His dad smiled at his choice and ruffled his hair, pulling blankets off from the back of the couch to wrap around them as the documentary started up with a basic introduction to the history of astronomy.

It was probably halfway through when Eidos got a call from work that he had to take, so he paused the documentary and went to his office to get some files he was asked for. As Kurapika sat there his phone buzzed as well, and he pulled it out to see that it was a call from Melody. He hesitated on answering, remembering what Chrollo had said about basically cutting all ties with him and his coworkers, but Kurapika was still concerned about her, and she had still yet to answer the text he sent her, so he answered.

“Hey Melody,” Kurapika greeted, his voice cracking as he did. He didn’t care to think too deeply on why it did.

“Oh Kurapika… you even sound bad… Is everything alright?” Melody asked, her concern immediately on how he was doing, which he thought was strange, but ignored.

“I’m fine, how are you though? I’m sorry about Hisoka, I only knew him for such a short time and yet—”

“No, it’s alright, don’t feel guilty about that,” Melody reassured him, seeming out of breath. “He… definitely will be missed. It’s hard to replace someone like that ya’know? Not just in skills, obviously, but in personality as well. It’ll certainly be weird not having him around… ah! But I’m doing fine just… a little shocked is all.”

“A little? I can’t… Melody, I don’t believe that,” Kurapika said honestly. “Even Chrollo is shaken by this. This incident is definitely worse than you’re letting on.”

Melody stayed silent for a while before sighing into the speaker.

“It… is a big deal,” she eventually admitted, then she hesitated before saying, “but that’s not what I called you for.”

Kurapika took in a steadying breath before responding.

“Melody… I… please… not right now.”

“Can you at least tell me what happened?” she asked, almost in a begging tone. “He didn’t give very many details, and I need to know if I need to slap this man silly for hurting you in such an awful time. I don’t care how much he’s suffering, I will-”

“No.” Kurapika said sternly, and he winced at how much he sounded like his mother. “I mean– just–” he sighed. “Melody, I’ve already hurt him enough. He doesn’t need more added onto it.

“What’d you do?”

“I… told him… that I should’ve never gotten to know him, and then implied that I would leave him for good.”

Melody made a soft gasping sound that Kurapika barely heard, but he knew it sounded bad that way. And he felt awful for it. But some part of him told him he was justified in what he did, not matter how much the other part of him protested to the idea.

“Kurapika, what else happened? That can’t be it… you wouldn’t say that without good reason and—”

“Can we please talk about this later?” Kurapika asked, glancing at his dad’s office as he saw Eidos’s feet teeter between leaving and staying in the office as he double checked the files in his hand.

“...Sure, just make sure to call or text me okay? We can maybe even arrange a meeting or something if you’d like.”

“Alright, sounds great,” Kurapika said, smiling even though she couldn’t see it. “Bye Melody.”

“Bye Kurapika.”

When he hung up, his dad walked back into the living room, shaking his head with his phone held between his face and shoulder as it played elevator music on the speakers. He was on hold.

“You would think a bunch of scientists,” Eidos began, plopping on the couch next to Kurapika as he did, “wouldn’t need to be reminded of research they conducted less than a year ago, but here we are! Looking it up again because no one else saved their files but me! Not that I blame them, I can barely remember last week and I hate how much paperwork I keep, but still!”

“Dad.”

“Yes Kurapika?”

“You’re ranting again.”

Eidos smiled warmly, ruffling Kurapika’s hair when he did.

“You’re right, I am,” he turned back to the phone, his expression changing as the elevator music ended and someone picked up, the phone switching off from speaker mode.

“No, no, it’s fine, call me if you need these copies faxed to you the next time they need the information. Yes, I understand, but having it on hand is probably easier than playing telephone now isn’t it? Yes… uh-huh… sure, sure, not a problem. Of course. Have a good day.”

When Eidos hung up he sighed a heavy sigh, placing the files and his phone to the side before looking at Kurapika and handing him the TV remote.

“Now, how about we finish this documentary and then go out to eat afterwards?” he suggested, and Kurapika smiled.

“With what money?” asked Kurapika suspiciously, crossing his arms as his father grinned at him.

“This credit card,” Eidos said as he pulled out a gold card and waved it at Kurapika. “Your mother said to use it during emergencies, and I think this counts for that.”

“...Do you think that it includes getting ice cream afterwards as well?” Kurapika asked, and Eidos gave him a soft smile, petting his hair again in a loving way.

“Absolutely.”


	4. Search

Overall, Chrollo had to conclude that it had been a successful week so far. He and Feitan had managed to get more information on the killer despite the initial lack of evidence of either any blood or body. While the new information wasn't much either, it still brightened up Chrollo’s demeanor just enough to make Feitan smile at him.

“Do you miss this?” asked Feitan, and Chrollo almost lost his good mood over the question.

“No. This job was awful for me.”

“But you miss hunting people down,” Feitan pointed out. “It may have destroyed you mentally when you were stuck in this environment, but this is what you  _ enjoy _ .”

_ “Feitan.” _

“I know, I know, I’m just saying,” Feitan shrugged as he leaned back into his chair to stretch, his back cracking a bit when he did. “Hard to let these skills go, but you’ll never get over the thrill. It’s just a simple fact.”

“I think I can live without it again after this,” Chrollo said to himself, but Feitan still gave him a disbelieving look from where he sat. Chrollo ignored him in favor of looking over the information they had found.

“Hey, Chrollo.”

“Hm?”

“What are the chances that we already know the killer?”

“Don’t be ridiculous Feitan,” Chrollo said shaking his head as he did. “Those chances would be pretty slim, especially since most other managers in this area know of us. We all know the rules with how we treat other organizations anyway, I don’t think any of them would target us.”

“But who else could have done it?” Feitan asked, leaning forward onto the table. “Whoever it was, they left almost no trace after vanishing and made a quick escape. You can’t do that in this city unless you know the backroads like we do. They’re in the business.”

Chrollo frowned. He didn’t want to admit it, but Feitan had a point. Where Hisoka was attacked, it’d be almost impossible to get out of there without getting caught by any traffic cameras unless they went through a few buildings and alleyways; an indirect way out but the only way to avoid being seen.

“Do you suggest we trace the killer’s escape route?”

“Yes. We could find more evidence.”

“Have we found anything on Hisoka’s body?”

“No… nothing at all,” Feitan growled. “It’s strange. We know for sure that Hisoka is dead, but we can’t even find the bastard’s body.”

Chrollo paused thoughtfully then asked “So it’s possible he could’ve been cut up and transported elsewhere?”

“Just like fresh meat from the market,” agreed Feitan.

Chrollo frowned at the comparison. It implied that their killer was a cannibal. And he  _ really _ hoped they weren’t dealing with anything like a cannibal killer who cooked up their victims.

“I think it’ll be best if we could find out  _ how  _ he was killed before we start jumping to those kinds of conclusions,” Chrollo said, raising a hand before Feitan could comment. “And yes, I know I jumped to the conclusion myself, but I can’t think of any other way his body could’ve been moved without a trail of blood leading from his place of death.”

Feitan sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. He looked tired, his hair a bit frazzled and the bags under his eyes even more accentuated with darkening circles. He gave Chrollo an exasperated look before yawning.

“Alright, let’s get this over with before I crash for the day.”

Chrollo nodded in consent with the plan, using one hand to push his hair back from his face and the other to shut off his laptop before grabbing his car keys and beckoning Feitan to follow him.

When, a half hour later, the two of them arrived to the place Hisoka had been killed, the air around the alleyway oddly quiet for the early morning, as if still remembering what had happened there. They exited Chrollo’s car, the slamming of the car doors and their steps down the alley the only sounds that reverberated in the enclosed area. Not even the crows surrounding the passageway croaked at them or fluttered their wings in an ominous fashion. They simply stared at them as they made their way to where a stained brown spot marked where Hisoka’s blood had pooled onto the ground. Feitan kicked at some dead leaves around it, the leaves crunching and scratching at the pavement as he did.

“Disgusting. How could  _ anyone _ even  _ think _ —”

“Enough Feitan,” Chrollo placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Trace first.”

Feitan gave a distasteful glare at the ground, looking as if he’d rather continue cursing at the blood stain, but he relented, turning from it and dislodging a hook from his belt.

“Right.”

He swung the hook up into a nearby window that was already partly open. The metal made a satisfying ring when Feitan tugged on the wire to test if it was secured to the ledge or not, the prongs of the hook settling into place as he did. After a few more tugs and a thumbs up, Chrollo made his way up first and then waited for Feitan to follow.

The room they entered was mostly empty except for a metal folding chair, a floral wallpaper roll leaning in the corner, a bucket of glue, and a few picture frames leaning against the bare wall. When they jumped in through the window, dust puffed up from where they landed and slowly drifting into the air. Feitan wrinkled his nose and made an off-handed comment that it smelt like an old lady’s house.

“Really Feitan?”

“What? I’m just saying. I wouldn’t be surprised if you found some doilies and hard candy somewhere is all.”

Chrollo rolled his eyes and walked out to investigate the rest of the apartment as Feitan began investigating the room. It seemed to have been abandoned mid way through someone living there. There was a mismatched socks left in the middle of the hall and a frame on the wall was empty and hanging crooked. He continued out to the living room area, where there was still an old, scratched up couch that creaked when Chrollo touched the top of it, a pretty clear sign that it was about to fall apart anytime now. In front of the couch was a low coffee table that was broken in half, yet still somehow awkwardly standing, the book that had decorated its surface having slid to the middle until it sat unevenly in the divot of the wood top. Dust had settled over the surface of the table and book, yet Chrollo barely made out the words “In a Bamboo Grove” on the front cover. He turned away to continue his inspection.

There was a door next to the room Feitan was in that led to a bathroom that was just as dusty as the living room, but still had the appearance of being somewhat cleaned before its previous owners had evacuated. Chrollo found nothing else of interest there and closed the door behind him after giving a few more glances around.

The last place he looked at was the kitchen area. It was the only place that showed signs of disturbances within the past few days. The wooden dining table didn’t have a layer of dust over it but instead seemed freshly wiped down, and there was only one chair out of three that was neatly tucked in underneath the table. Moving forward towards the kitchen, the countertops had a similar appearance. Wiped down and free of debris. It smelled strongly of some cuisine Chrollo couldn’t place. He didn’t linger long on the thought; he had to focus on doing a more thorough search in here.

Chrollo opened cabinet after cabinet in search of anything that’d be of use for finding Hisoka’s killer, but it was all in vain. The cabinets were full of dust and had nothing in them except for a few abandoned spices that hadn’t even been touched by whoever had been there previously.  He inspected the stove, seeing it was immaculately clean and searched for any cleaning supplies but again turned up empty. He started going through the drawers when he finally found something: knives. And freshly polished ones, at that.

He heard Feitan exit from his room but Chrollo didn’t look up, instead inspecting the knives, all of which were different types of kitchen knives that had been cleaned just recently. He got a shiver up his spine just looking at them. He  _ really _ didn’t hope they were dealing with a cannibal. He had never encountered one before, and never wanted to either.

“What did you do to that poor table Chrollo?” Feitan joked, flicking his head back to the living room. “What did it ever do to you?”

“Waste my time,” Chrollo said with little emotion, too distracted by the knives. He put them back in their drawer and closed it. “Someone’s been here recently to use this kitchen area. Should we observe it and wait for them to come back or continue on?”

“I think we should keep moving,” Feitan said, leaning against a wall with peeling wallpaper on it. “People use these houses all the time when they’re abandoned for things like this.”

“We can’t ignore the evidence of this though.”

“I’m not ignoring it, but I’m not focusing all my efforts on it either. If it’s all we got then that’s fine, but we gotta keep moving on or else we’ll have nothing else.”

Chrollo nodded.

“You’re right. We’ll come back later.”

“Of course I’m right. Anyway, we should interview some of the neighbors to see if they witnessed the murder or saw anyone passing through,” Feitan said, pushing himself off the wall and towards the front door. “Someone is bound to have at least seen  _ something.” _

Chrollo didn’t make a comment, but gave one last glance at the broken coffee table. He tried to recall if he had ever read the book on said table, but shrugged to himself. He’d look it up later.


	5. Meeting

It’d been much longer than two days since Kurapika had seen a clock ticking down above his hand, urging him to go on a seemingly pointless quest to go and punch someone. In fact, it had been exactly two  _ weeks _ and four days, (not that he was counting,) and it was, in all honesty, disheartening to see the change, and he was more anxious than anything else about its implications. To most people, this would be fantastic news, but to Kurapika it only reminded him that it’d been over two weeks since he’d last seen Chrollo after telling him those awful things to his face. He cringed, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes. He just hoped Chrollo wasn’t going to be found dead in an alley like Hisoka.

Kurapika frowned at the thought. Normally he wouldn’t have to worry about that either, someone else he knew dying so quickly after another acquaintance had, but if Chrollo was being serious about pursuing Hisoka’s killer, then it was likely that something could go terribly wrong while he was doing so.

The sound of a chair skidding across the floor brought his attention towards his surroundings, finding that for being such a noisy café it was a wonder how he hadn’t found the idle chatter of half a hundred people bothersome. Kurapika looked over across the table at the other booth to see Melody sitting there with a concerned look on her face, but smiling nonetheless. He didn’t smile back.

“Hi Kurapika.”

“Hello.”

Melody’s smile fell slightly, but it only caused Kurapika to frown.

“I’m glad you decided to meet me, even if you still don’t want to talk about what happened,” said Melody.

Kurapika wanted to shrug but suppressed the urge. Instead he focused on the cup of tea in front of him, untouched and still steaming. He clasped his hands together and licked at his chapped lips before talking again.

“About that,” said Kurapika, watching Melody as she perked up hopefully. “Chrollo told me to avoid you guys.”

Clearly not expecting this information, she gaped at him until she recovered by shaking her head.

“That bastard—”

“Whoa Melody,” Kurapika raised his hands as if to try and calm her. “No need for the strong language. He said it was for my protection or something like that.”

“He did  _ not _ say that.” Melody countered, anger still palpable. “He  _ never _ explains that; you concluded it yourself. What he fails to recognize is that you’d be safer  _ with  _ us.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely. With our guard raised and the rest of the manager organizations also on the lookout, it’d be hard for the killer to strike out against any of us without a big alert signalling all of us to their moves,” Melody said confidently. “Chrollo is used to doing things on his own and his way.  _ That _ much hasn't changed about him.”

Kurapika wanted to defend Chrollo but kept his mouth shut, because it was very much true on Chrollo’s nature.

“That would explain a lot,” Kurapika choose to say, and Melody raised an eyebrow at him exasperatedly.

“What else did he do?”

“He told me that if I  _ were _ to get involved he'd make me stay out of the way until everything was over.”

“ _ That bastard—” _

_ “Melody!” _

“Sorry, I just,” she slammed the table with her fists, attracting a few stares that went away just as quickly as they came. “He is making me  _ so _ mad right now!”

“Now it’s my turn to ask this– what else did he do?”

“He’s dropped all communication with us! All except for Feitan, of course. But Feitan won’t even tell us what they’re doing, even if it  _ is _ quite obvious.”

“They’ve already started an investigation?”

“Yeah…”

Kurapika frowned.

“So… what now?”

“I don’t know. I would say try and track them and follow up on whatever they’re doing but that could get… dangerous,” Melody supplied, shifting in her seat a little before taking a sip of her own cup of tea. “I think the best thing we can do right now is lay low. If any of us find some information I’ll let you know as soon as possible, alright?”

“Yeah, sounds good,” Kurapika sighed, closing his eyes as he did.  He pushed a hand through his hair before sighing again and looking up at Melody, who looked just as tired as he felt. “Hey, Melody?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think… that Chrollo hates me now?”

“What?! No! Why would he? You haven’t done anything wrong!” Melody assured, reaching over as far as she could to place a hand on Kurapika’s. Kurapika didn’t look up, but could feel the pressure behind his eyes that threatened the imminence of tears.

“But I  _ did _ Melody! I hurt him, and now I just– what if– what if he never wants to see me again?”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Melody said, patting his hand comfortingly. “If you want I can find out for you. And I can guarantee that he’ll want to see you again.”

“You can?” asked Kurapika, finally looking up despite being aware that the motion allowed tears to fall from his eyes.

“Absolutely. By the time I’m done with him he’ll be  _ begging  _ to see you again.”

Kurapika started laughing, feeling ridiculous for his swing in emotions. “Oh come  _ on _ Melody! Don’t threaten him!”

“I’m prepared to if I have to,” said Melody proudly, smiling at Kurapika. “Just let me handle it okay?”

“ _ Alright,  _ I  _ will.  _ But you have to promise not to do anything too drastic. I don’t want to lose more people than we already have.”

Melody gave a nod, still smiling in good humor.

“Of course, I promise.”

“Good,” Kurapika said, wiping tears away from his eyes and face. “Also, I’ve been meaning to ask; you said you were inviting someone else to go shopping with us, but who?”

“Me.”

Kurapika startled and looked up to see Machi, whom he realized he’d never seen in anything but dim lighting. He also realized that her hair was pink despite having thought it was purple when he first met her.

“Machi’s been having a tough time herself, so I decided to let her join in on our coping trip,” Melody provided as Machi silently sat next to Kurapika.

“I’m sorry,” Kurapika said to Machi, and she shrugged nonchalantly, as if none of what was going on was even worth her time.

“It’s no big deal. Life is rough sometimes.”

Melody smiled sympathetically at her before turning back to Kurapika.

“Plus there is always no harm to have a bigger support system, as I’ve already told Machi. Relying on only one person could get… well, tiresome,” she said with a smile, and Machi huffed at that.

“No need to be vague just to say I tire you out with my bullshit,” Machi said, drumming her fingers on the table. “Just say it up front.”

“No, I wasn’t saying that at all!” Melody squeaked, putting up her hands a little in a calming gesture. “I just can’t deal with everything right now, emotionally  _ or _ mentally. Especially after what happened to Hisoka…”

Machi’s fingers stopped drumming on the table and curled up into a fist, but her face remained as impassive as ever. Kurapika wasn’t sure if he should feel intimidated by her actions or worried by them.

“That dumbass is probably giddy in death knowing he went down in a fight. I feel no remorse.”

“Machi please,” Melody said pleadingly, glancing at Kurapika for help. He sighed.

“It’s too soon for words like that,” Kurapika spoke to Machi, and only her eyes moved to glare at him. It didn’t stand up to Chrollo’s glare at all, in fact, it felt soft compared to the dark haired man’s chilling gaze. Kurapika felt almost proud that he continued speaking undeterred by her attempt to throw him off. “Listen, we’re all dealing with our own bullshit, because as you said, life is hard. But Melody planned this for us, so the least we can do is just go along with it.”

Machi held her stare only a few seconds longer before she closed her eyes, sighing.

“Whatever you say blondie. Now, if you're finished with your drinks, let’s get out of here and go shop for hours on end as if we haven’t a care in the world.”

“And try not to spend too much money doing so,” Melody giggled in addition, especially when Kurapika gave her a look. “What? I can’t save money now?”

“You and I both know you two have more than enough money to buy out the entire mall.”

“Maybe so, but I think we can restrain ourselves,” said Melody with a smile. Kurapika smiled back, and for the first time in a while, he felt like everything was going to be alright.


	6. Coffee Shop

It was at least a month after their fight did Chrollo see Kurapika again, and when they did meet it, was pure coincidence.

Chrollo had only gone out for a coffee run since he and Feitan had long since ran out of their own coffee to use, but now he was confronted with all of the feelings and problems he’d been pushing away since Kurapika left. Well, he didn’t  _ have _ to confront them, not really, but it was kind of hard to do so when he had already made eye contact with the blonde.

They stared at each other for what felt like long, awkward minutes, but was actually barely five seconds.

“Oh… hi…”

Kurapika was the first to utter anything. It took a few seconds before Chrollo could respond, feeling as if he were in some sort of dream.

“Hey, uh, lovely weather we’re having, huh?” Chrollo said, then winced immediately afterwards when a large crack of thunder was heard from outside. They were, in fact, not having lovely weather. It was honestly quite the opposite. There was a huge storm outside, and a bad one at that. He suddenly became overly conscious of how loud the rain pelting the roof of the dimly lit shop was and almost didn’t register when Kurapika responded back.

“Yup... just… just lovely,” Kurapika said back hesitantly, eyes averted to the overpriced items on the shelf next to them, and Chrollo wasn’t sure if it was because he was hesitating over whether or not to agree with him, or if it was because he too thought that this was the most awkward conversation he had ever held with another human being.

“How are things going? It’s been a while since we’ve last talked,” Chrollo prompted, and he got a strange look from the blonde that turned sour quickly.

“Because you cut off all communications with everyone?”

Chrollo gaped at him and recovered slowly from the verbal blow for some reason. Did he completely forget how to socialize with everyone but his brother? He shook his head.

“Kurapika, I just,” Chrollo sighed. “I just want to know how you’re doing.” He said this as sincerely as he could, but he was given a skeptical gaze in return.

“Do you really care or you just saying it to save face?” Kurapika questioned after a pause, attitude still as strong as the last time he had encountered it. Chrollo tried not to remember how heartbroken he was after their last conversation that had spiraled out of control when they were both as stubborn as Kurapika was now.

Chrollo inhaled slowly and sighed again, closing his eyes as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn’t know how to get through to him at this point, especially now that any semblance of their burgeoning relationship was in tatters. When he opened his eyes again after a long moment, he caught a glimpse of Kurapika looking at him worriedly, but it went away as soon as they made eye contact again.

“Well?” Kurapika asked impatiently, crossing his arms as he did. Chrollo took a glimpse at the blonde’s hands when he went to cross them and saw no timer ticking down, which surprised him greatly. If there was no grudge, then that meant...

“You don’t hate me?” Chrollo heard himself ask in awe, and he wanted to kick himself just for asking, but was happy to see Kurapika’s scowl go away to be replaced by an innocently surprised face.

“No, why-? I would never- _ could _ ever-”

The bell to the shop jingled and it prompted Kurapika to stop mid-sentence, eyes still wide and mouth open as if ready to say the next word when signalled. Chrollo could feel he looked the same way, eyes big and mouth hanging as if struck stupid. When they heard the shop door jingle close they both composed themselves again, Chrollo unsure of what happened but relieved by the news Kurapika had given him.

_ He doesn’t hate me. _

Chrollo felt like grinning madly but managed to contain his excitement, though he couldn’t keep the glint from entering his eyes. There was another boom of thunder, but this time it sounded much farther off. The rain on the roof was no longer as harsh as it had been moments earlier.

“I’ve missed you,” was all Chrollo allowed himself to say, becoming suddenly aware that they were in the middle of a coffee shop with people walking everywhere between the aisles, and that if he said anything more it could become overly sappy really fast, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to handle the public embarrassment that came with that.

“So have I,” Kurapika said back, smiling up at him, and Chrollo felt himself smile back. Time seemed to stand still in that moment, and Chrollo felt as if they were drifting by every passing moment in a light, foggy haze. They were still smiling at each other like idiots when someone bumped into Kurapika’s shoulder, jolting them out of their alternate reality.

“Oh sorry, I didn’t mean–” the voice stopped abruptly, and Chrollo looked over to see a dark, brown haired man with faded brown eyes gawking at Kurapika, blinking a few times before blurting out “Kurapika?!”

Kurapika turned his attention to the stranger completely at that point, his face shifting through so many expressions in so few seconds that Chrollo couldn’t pinpoint any of them before Kurapika was hugging the other man with enthusiasm.

“Pairo, you finally made it back! I thought you’d never have time off from your job to do it!”

“Hahaha yeah! I got a lucky break! And I was just about to head over to your house too! What a coincidence!”

Chrollo stood there awkwardly, wondering if he should just slip away while he and Kurapika were on good terms, but the one named Pairo turned to him with curious eyes.

“So who is this Kurapika? A friend?”

Chrollo kept back a flinch at the word ‘friend.’ They might have been, at one point. But now? That was definitely not the word.

“Something like that,” Kurapika avoided, giving a passive smile. “It’s kind of complicated, really.”

“Wait, is this the one that you said had bad jokes and no filter?” Pairo questioned, face blank until a smile spread across his face in a mocking way. “Attractive.”

“Pairo!”

“What? It’s what you said! Oh! And he made you have  _ so _ many grudges, or at least that’s my understanding of what this is,” Pairo said, motioning to between them. “Guess that’s not friend material though.”

“Now you’re the one without the filter,” Chrollo said with a smile of his own, and Kurapika gave him a sharp look but he ignored it. He wasn’t wrong.

Pairo turned and smiled at him, and something about it felt  _ off _ . Chrollo couldn’t figure out what it was… maybe it had something to do with his demeanor? Maybe it was his smile? Maybe it was the way he stood? He couldn’t tell, but this innocent looking man was definitely giving off a weird aura, and he didn’t like it.

“Aggressive too huh? You better not be that way to Kurapika. I’ll kick your—”

“That’s enough,” Kurapika interjected, whacking Pairo in the back of the head and stopping him before he could finished his threat. Pairo smiled awkwardly back at Kurapika and was given a disapproving look before he rounded on Chrollo, poking his chest with a stern finger. “And you; you’re on thin ice too.”

Chrollo raised his hands in submission. He didn’t want to fight, not really. But Pairo’s words had stung, whether he wanted to admit it or not.

“Now let me  _ formally _ introduce you two, since it seems you two can’t be decent human beings for even a few seconds,” Kurapika said with a huff, giving another disappointed look at Pairo, who stuck his tongue out at him. “Chrollo, this is Pairo, my childhood friend. And Pairo, this is Chrollo, my… uh…”

“Nice to meet you Chrollo,” Pairo said as Kurapika searched for the right words, offering a hand to him. Chrollo shook it, and was surprised to find Pairo’s grip to be strong. “Sorry for what I said earlier. I didn’t mean to offend you if I did. I really  _ do _ have no filter sometimes!”

“Don’t worry about it,” Chrollo assured. “And fret not, I’ve no intention of ever harming your friend, even if you  _ didn’t _ do a poor job at threatening me.”

Pairo laughed at that, releasing Chrollo’s hand from the shake and elbowing Kurapika.

“Where’d you find this guy? He’s great!”

“At a club,” Kurapika said with a shrug, before adding, “drunk.”

“Amazing. I’m in love already,” Pairo said, pretending to swoon. Kurapika smiled and rolled his eyes.

“Can’t say that’s how I felt when I first met him.”

“Or how he felt afterwards when I insulted his family,” Chrollo added on, and Pairo gaped at him.

“You did  _ what?  _ Kurapika, you didn’t mention that!”

“He’s done a lot Pairo, I can’t remember everything he’s said!” Kurapika defended, but Pairo was shaking his head in fake offense.

“Can’t believe you forgot your first grudge against him. How sad. Just absolutely  _ terrible.” _

“Oh please, don’t be so dramatic.” Kurapika nudged his friend, and the brunette grinned at him.

“Yeah yeah, alright. Just glad you have another friend. When I left I was worried for you.”

“Well,” the blonde began, and his face became red as he let the pause linger. “I don’t know about friend…”

“No need to be shy Kurapika, everyone gets more friends as they age, it’s nothing to be ashamed about!” Pairo said, and Chrollo didn’t have the courage to even try and clear up the misunderstanding. That was, until Pairo gave Kurapika a sly smile. “Unless you’re leaving something out… like maybe having s—”

“Pairo!” Kurapika gasped, then immediately went to try and strangle the brunette.

“Oh my,” was all Chrollo got out as Pairo easily untangled himself from Kurapika’s stronghold, which made the blonde give a few stunned blinks at his childhood friend. A silence settled between all three of them, and it persisted until after a customer near them grabbed a box of coffee beans and promptly left the aisle.

“You’ve… gotten stronger,” Kurapika stated dumbfounded, looking… betrayed? Chrollo shook his head. He must be imagining it.

“Oh, yeah, that!” Pairo laughed, oblivious to Kurapika’s shift in mood. “When I first got my job they made me go through grunt work before I could get to the position I have now.”

“You’re a chef, not a wrestler,” Kurapika said, lightly punching his friend’s shoulder. The look on his face didn’t go away, but instead seemed masked by false happiness. Chrollo resolved to ask him later if he got the chance. Pairo tsked at Kurapika in a playful manner, resting his arm on the blonde’s shoulder as he explained.

“I’m actually a sous chef right now, which means I only really ever  _ prepare  _ food more than I cook it, but within a month or two I should be able to make it to being an actual chef!”

Pairo said this excitedly, puffing out his chest as he did, but before Chrollo could think to congratulate him, his thoughts involuntarily swung back to images of the abnormally clean kitchen he had found near Hisoka’s death site and his paranoia of a cannibalistic killer. He felt sick to his stomach and he struggled to keep his face neutral. Maybe he really did need a break from work if even the mentions of a  _ chef _ made him think of an ongoing  _ murder investigation. _

Before Chrollo could comment though, Pairo’s phone went off with an alarm, and he looked panicked when he saw it.

“I forgot about my laundry! I gotta go, but it was nice seeing you Kurapika!” Pairo said, backing out of the aisle as he grabbed a random container from the shelf as if finally remembering what he’d gone to the shop for. “Oh, and nice meeting you Rolo!”

“It’s Chrollo.”

“I knew that!”

And like that he was gone, leaving Chrollo and Kurapika to fill the silence that Pairo had left them with. It didn’t take long for Kurapika to speak up.

“I guess I better get going if Pairo really  _ is _ visiting. My parents are gonna be  _ thrilled  _ when they hear the news.”

“Actually, I was wondering–” Chrollo felt his breath go away when Kurapika turned to look at him quizzically, and it took all his energy to take another breath and continue his thought. “I was wondering if you wanted to stay the night. At my place.”

Kurapika’s face instantly turned a bright red, and Chrollo could feel the heat reach his face too as soon as he processed what he had just said, realizing too late how it probably sounded to Kurapika. Chrollo began stuttering out words to defend himself, arms waving as if to clear the implications away.”

“No, I’m sorry, not– not like that, just– just to hang out. Promise. Like a sleepover party! Just, less party and more sleeping. But not  _ that _ kind of sleeping! Only tired sleeping! Nothing else!”

Kurapika was laughing at him now, face still flushed but thankfully smiling and, at least, a little bit humored as well.

“I get it! You don’t have to explain–haha–seriously you’re fine Chrollo!” Kurapika said, still laughing as he tried to get out his response. “I’ll think about it, I probably will if I’m being honest—”

“You will?” Chrollo blurted out, the surprise evident in his voice. “But didn’t Pairo just say—”

“Yeah,” Kurapika’s smile faded a bit. “But I don’t… well…”

“You don’t have to explain yourself Kurapika,” Chrollo amended, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Come over if you want and we can have Chinese take-out. Feitan might be there, but I can get him leave if you want…I hope.”

Kurapika put his own hand over Chrollo’s and smiled again, and Chrollo momentarily forgot how to breathe.

“It’d be nice to hang out again, thank you.”

“N-no problem,” was all Chrollo got out as Kurapika gave him a pat on his hand to get him to let go. He did so, feeling dazed.

“I’ll meet you later after I drop off some stuff at my house then. Sound good?”

“Yeah, sounds great.”

“Great.”

Kurapika gave him another dazzling smile before turning and walking out of the aisle, leaving Chrollo there in a daze and trying to remember his initial purpose for being in the shop. When he finally recalled Feitan ordering him to get coffee for them, he almost ran into with a small old woman, who was squinting up at him with a smile.

“Ah, young love... how nice.”

Chrollo felt himself blush but didn’t bother to correct the old woman, instead just giving her a nod and a bid to have a good day as he hastily walked away in order to get the coffee he no longer needed.


	7. Food

That night, Kurapika was determined to make sure that he could go visit Chrollo, especially since Chrollo had been avoiding him for such a long time already, and he was just glad he could finally spend time with the other man again.

But before he could go, he had to give a good enough excuse to his parents as for why he wasn’t going to be home when Pairo was visiting.

“I have a previous engagement I have to go to,” he lied, and Eidos raised an eyebrow at him.

“That you didn’t tell your mother and I?”

“I forgot about it.”

“...”

“What? I ran into someone who reminded me is all. It’s not  _ that  _ complicated,” Kurapika said, but it was another lie.  _ Especially the last part. _

“Well, if you say so,” Eidos relented, breathing out a sigh. “You’re gonna miss one hell of a dinner though.”

“I know, wish I could be here for it,” Kurapika assured, turning to go get some stuff from his room. “And Mom is even home. It’s a rare day huh?”

“Certainly is. Would’ve been rarer if you hadn’t been busy too.”

“Touché.”

“Alright, well I’ll see you later kiddo. I’ll save you some dinner too before we eat it all,” Eidos said, waving nonchalantly back at his son as he walked away. “And don’t worry, I’ll tell them work is calling you in.”

“But that’s not—”

“It’s not,” Edios shrugged, “but it’s more convincing than what you told me,” he said winking. Kurapika couldn’t help but smile at that. “You just owe me a movie marathon is all, so don't sweat it.”

“Alright Dad, whatever you say.”

Kurapika turned and made his way up the stairs and to his room, gathering a bit of clothes and his phone charger and stuffing them into a bookbag before heading out. Without trying to sound too rushed, Kurapika half-ran down his stairs as he shouted to his dad across the house.

“I’m taking the car!”

“Alright, be safe!” he heard Eidos shout back, followed by confused and questioning voices of Pairo and Anahita. Kurapika was glad he was able to get out of the house without encountering his mom and childhood friend, but he still rushed to the car and left quickly before anyone could actually physically try and stop him. He knew his mom would if she knew the truth. And Pairo...

Well, he didn’t know. Not anymore, at least. Since having met him in the coffee shop he felt like he didn’t know this new Pairo. This one was stronger, more mature, more… aggressive… it was disconcerting. It seemed like it was only yesterday when he had to protect Pairo during preschool and got into literal fistfights with other kids to keep him safe, and now it felt like he wasn’t even needed.

Kurapika sighed, wondering if it was too naive and selfish to wish for the old Pairo back.  _ At least he didn’t pick fights with guys I was interested in when we were younger. _ Kurapika hit the brakes too hard when he had that thought, just happy that he was conveniently at a red light.

He exhaled a breath of air, unclenching his hands from around the steering wheel. It was getting a lot harder to deny his attraction to Chrollo recently. He thought of him constantly, even if it wasn’t always positive. But for the most part? His mind kept returning to when they had made out in the kitchen, where everything felt so open, so  _ free _ and  _ good. _

He felt himself blush from remembering, and was embarrassed all over again when he felt his heart rate increase and felt a phantom ghost of pressure on his lips.

Kurapika hit a speed bump, which physically jostled him out of his thoughts and brought him back to reality, where he was pulling into Chrollo’s apartment complex. He debated texting he was on his way and waiting outside just to give himself more time to prepare, but he shook his head.  _ Don’t be a coward now. _

He got out of his car and took the steps up to Chrollo’s door slowly, hoping to catch his breath before he got there, but if anything, the steps made him more out of breath. When he went to open the door, Kurapika felt the lock prevent him from doing so, again reminding him of the new safety policy that he was already beginning to abhor. He was about to knock when he heard the door unlock and saw Feitan’s face glare up at him through the crack.

“You got here awfully quick,” Feitan accused, and Kurapika felt heat rush to his face again. 

“Just let me in.”

“Why the rush? Are you  _ that _ horny?”

“Feitan!” It was Chrollo’s voice in the background now. “That was unnecessary!”

Feitan’s face turned away, and Kurapika was glad for it, using that moment to compose himself and try to force the blush on his face down.  _ Why did he have to say that? _

“Relax, it was just a joke.” Feitan said casually, and Chrollo sounded less than impressed.

“It can’t be a joke if it’s not funny.”

“I thought it was funny; his reactions are priceless.”

“Fei—”

“Okaaaayyy, okay!  _ I get it!  _ The door is open now, happy?” Feitan asked, swinging the door open angrily and dramatically bowing at Kurapika as he walked in. The blonde tried not to feel awkward about it when he did.

“You didn’t have this much trouble opening the door for the delivery guys. I wonder what’s gotten into you,” Chrollo mused, ignoring Feitan’s theatrics, and Kurapika saw Feitan flick his brother off in his peripheral vision.

“Delivery guys?” Kurapika questioned, but he didn’t have to wonder long when he saw five plastic bags on the dinner table overflowing with take-out food.

“Yeah, I didn’t know what you wanted so I picked out a wide variety of things in hopes that you’d at least like something,” Chrollo said, obviously not hiding his excitement well at the prospect of it. 

“The Chinese restaurant thought I was pranking them when I ordered this much food,” Feitan accused, and Chrollo shrugged as if it didn’t matter. Kurapika suppressed a smile.

“While it was sweet of you to do that–”

“Ew.”

“–you could’ve just texted me to ask what I wanted,” Kurapika said, briefly glancing at Feitan when he made his noise of disgust, but ignored it in favor of looking back at Chrollo, who was just staring wide-eyed at the ceiling.

“Why didn’t I think of that?” he questioned to himself, still looking at the ceiling, and Kurapika had to laugh at least  _ a little _ when Feitan kicked the leg of the chair Chrollo was sitting on, almost making Chrollo topple over.

“Because you left your brain at the coffee shop apparently! You’ve been acting awfully weird since you got back. I’d like to have my brother back now, please and thank you.”

“You can have him back after tonight,” Kurapika said unthinkingly, earning him the stares of the two men in front of him and a wave of heat to his face. “Not like that, it won’t last that long, just—”

“Oh please lover-boy, you think I’m oblivious to this thing you’ve got going on?” Feitan asked, gesturing between Chrollo and Kurapika. Kurapika gaped at him.

“Lover-boy?” Kurapika asked incredulously, not sure if he heard him right. Feitan didn’t even bother to acknowledge him when Chrollo seemed to finally process what he had said.

“A  _ thing?” _ Chrollo echoed aghast, sitting up straighter in his chair. Feitan turned to him, pleased with the reaction. “Feitan there is no—”

“Don’t lie to me brother. I know you better than you know yourself,” he tsked at him, smiling evilly. “Though I must admit, I didn’t know of your interest in blondes until recently…”

“I do not!” Chrollo said defensively, but Feitan was already moving on from the insult.

“But I  _ suppose _ I should make myself scarce lest I want to be between  _ you two _ giving bedroom eyes at each other.”

“I would  _ never _ ,” Kurapika said quickly, but hesitated when he remembered the one time in the kitchen again. He shook his head. That moment was gonna haunt him for the rest of his life wasn’t it?

Feitan shrugged.

“Well I guess it doesn't matter what you would or wouldn’t do in the end, because I have places to be, business to attend to. You know, like a normal,  _ functioning _ member of society?”

“Wait, you’re leaving?” Chrollo asked, confused now. Kurapika also looked over at Feitan questioningly. He didn’t have to leave, they weren’t gonna do anything but eat and relax… right?

“Yeah, gonna go do surveillance on that kitchen we found. Hopefully something interesting actually happens; I’m  _ tired _ of watching dust settle on the countertops.”

“Wait, kitchen?” Kurapika said to Feitan, but when he was met with a steely gaze he switched over to Chrollo. “What kitchen?”

“The one we found while—”

“Hey Chrollo? Mm-mm.” Feitan shook his head as he made his disapproving humming noise. “That’s confidential stuff, remember? We don’t tell people about that.” It was said disapprovingly, making Chrollo pause, but it was only for a brief second because he turned back to Kurapika hurriedly and spoke before Feitan could react.

“It’s under suspicion of having a link to Hisoka’s killer.”

“What the  _ fuck _ did I just say?”

“I wish I didn’t have to, but I can’t lie to him. Not after…” Chrollo looked at his hands, ignoring Feitan’s glare. “Not after all I’ve kept from him.”

Kurapika shuffled uneasily as Feitan judged Chrollo from his spot next to the front door. He wondered, briefly, if he could ask to accompany Feitan, wanting to somehow contribute to the cause, but kept his mouth closed.

“Fine,” Feitan finally relented, but he didn’t look pleased. “You two stay here and hash out your mushy-gushy feelings and I’ll go have a stake out at an abandoned kitchen in a dirty apartment building.”

“I’m sorry—” Kurapika started but Feitan held up a hand to stop him.

“I’m not the one you need to say that to. Now goodnight, I’ll see you both tomorrow morning.”

With that said, Feitan turned and went out the door, locking it behind him as they both listened to his feet go down the stairs. The weird silence between them only lasted four seconds.

“So,” Chrollo started, picking up a random container from the table. “You hungry?”


	8. Apologies

_ It’s peaceful, _ Chrollo thought to himself, adjusting his hold on his chopsticks.  _ Hopefully it lasts.  _ Though he doubted it would. The day had been going  _ far _ too well, and it was almost suspicious how great of a day it had been so far. He had somehow made peace with Kurapika and  _ now _ he was having dinner with him? Obviously the work of something sinister.

He slurped on some beef lo mein, wondering if it’d be too weird to ask Kurapika if he still wanted to help find Hisoka’s killer. Of course, not by staying on the sideline this time. He was sure Kurapika had something he could offer to the mission; everyone always did. 

He didn’t get to finish his thoughts or his lo mein before Kurapika spoke.

“When Feitan left, he said I didn’t need to apologize to him but someone else. He meant you, right?”

Chrollo sighed. “I may or may not have exaggerated how much you, uh, hurt me the day we fought.” He scratched at the back of his head awkwardly as he remembered being depressed all day until Feitan had showed up. “Might’ve also given the impression that I was nothing short of devastated.”

Kurapika also sighed as he nodded in acceptance of what Chrollo had said.

“Yeah, that makes sense. I have to say, you being dramatic doesn’t come as a surprise.”

“I’m not  _ that  _ dramatic—”

Kurapika gave him a pointed look, and Chrollo could almost physically feel the unloading of evidence being dropped onto the metaphorical table.

“Touché,” Chrollo finally admitted as he shifted in his chair, giving Kurapika a fond look when the blonde looked away. When Kurapika turned back towards him, he faked a cough to clear his throat. “Back to the point though, you don’t have to apologize. You only retaliated because of me, so I should be the one—”

“That still doesn’t excuse my actions and you know it,” Kurapika said, pointing at him with his chopsticks. When Chrollo couldn’t give a better answer than shrugging, Kurapika laughed to himself. “Besides, what did you even say? That I broke your heart or something?”

Chrollo opened his mouth but nothing came out, not immediately at least. Kurapika was joking, of course, but he wasn’t sure if he should confirm or deny it just in case it made things awkward… like last time…

“Wait… did you actually say that?” Kurapika asked, when Chrollo had stayed quiet for too long. Chrollo shook his head, mostly to clear out his thoughts.

“Something like that,” Chrollo allowed, “but before you say anything else, I want to say that I’m sorry first. For everything. For dragging you into this mess, for bothering you the night we first met, and for that one time... that night we…”

Chrollo paused as he remembered the rush of adrenaline he got when Kurapika basically  _ gave  _ him permission to lift him on top of the counter to… to… Chrollo felt his face heat up at the memory. The phantom sensations of Kurapika’s hands groping at his body and his lips magnetized to his mouth wracked his senses and left him breathless, and he had to force it all down. It was  _ so _ hard to ignore how dizzy he felt from it, but he pushed through it and tried to hide it as best as he could. He needed to finish what he started, even if that meant speaking normally while re-experiencing their impromptu make-out session.

_ “That _ night. You know the one. The one with lots of regrets. Or not. I don’t know what it was, just—” Chrollo turned exasperatedly and then pointed to his kitchen. “There.”

Kurapika gave him a confused look for only one second before it seemed to click, and then the blonde’s face was instantly as bright as a tomato and the rest of his body went rigid. 

“There,” Kurapika agreed, confirming that he knew what Chrollo was talking about. Chrollo tried not to think too much about what that reaction meant.

“Anyway, sorry for that as well. And for my outburst, and my change in attitude, and how I  _ ignored _ you, which probably didn’t help us solve this anytime sooner, but I digress—”

“Chrollo.”

His name was spoken so softly Chrollo almost didn’t hear him, but he did. It made him stop talking immediately, only to be mildly surprised at himself with his own reaction.  _ Does this always happen when someone says my name? _

“It’s okay,” Kurapika said softly again, putting a hand on top of his. “I forgive you.”

Chrollo let out a sigh that seemed to ease all of the tension in his body, which he hadn’t notice he had until that moment. Like stretching in the morning right after waking up. It just felt  _ good. _

Kurapika smiled at him, squeezing his hand as he did. He was, in Chrollo’s eyes, radiant in that moment. If anyone were to ask him what he thought peace looked like, it would be this exact moment of Kurapika smiling at him warmly. Chrollo let an easy smile make its way to his face, and he felt content for the first time in days.

Chrollo wanted that moment to last forever, but Kurapika moved his hand away shortly after, though he was still sitting next to him and smiling, so Chrollo felt that he shouldn’t complain.

“I know you said I didn’t have to, but I still want to apologize as well. What I said was… putting it lightly… harsh and uncalled for. I’m sorry I said those things to you and I didn’t mean a word of it. Well, except for when I said Melody was right,” Kurapika shrugged and gave Chrollo an apologetic look. “Because she was.”

“I forgive you too but, what  _ exactly _ was she right about?” Chrollo asked in good humor, an eyebrow raised in curiosity as Kurapika stifled a laugh. “She never did tell me.”

“She said, and I quote ‘he is impulsive and pushy to get his way,’ end quote.”

“When did she ever say that?”

“When I first met her. At the bar. You were  _ there, _ ” Kurapika pointed out, and even though Chrollo couldn’t remember her saying that during their time there, he nodded just the same.

“Ah, you’re right, she did say that—”

“She also said someone had predicted you’d come back. You know, as a manager,” Kurapika continued out loud with his own thoughts. Chrollo was beginning to wonder how much of the conversation he had forgotten until Kurapika spoke again. “It was some other manager… Pakunoda was her name, I believe.”

Chrollo froze. He could suddenly remember the conversation at the bar with surprising clarity…

 

_ “I’ve changed quite a bit since I’ve left Melody; you can’t assume I’m still the same!” Chrollo defended, but Melody didn’t look convinced. _

_ “I would bet half of my earnings that if you ever came back to this job you would go back to being your same old self,” she said seriously, and Chrollo frowned. _

_ “If I’m to be honest, I don’t think I’d want that. I took quite a while to recover from the issues I had after leaving here.” _

_ “I’m sure, but you know what they say: old habits die hard.” She paused to slide off her chair before she continued talking. “And don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to be mean to you, but it’s what Pakunoda said would happen.” _

_ “Who’s Pakunoda?” Kurapika asked her, but Chrollo answered instead. _

_ “She’s another substitute manager here. She has great insight on many things, and most of what she predicts is true.” _

_ “So she’s a fortune teller?” _

_ “Close, but not quite.” Chrollo sighed, leaning his head into his hand. “She’s just really good at figuring out what you’ll do based off of your personality and past.” _

_ “Oh, how fun.” Kurapika said unenthusiastically. Chrollo smirked at that. How fun indeed. _

_ “Well since I’m here, I’ll gladly let you know that I won’t be coming back to this job if I can help it.” Chrollo said, and Melody had given him a disbelieving look. _

 

“I haven’t.”

Kurapika looked up in confusion. “What?”

“I haven’t gone back, not… not officially… but yet…”  _ She was right. _ Oh how Chrollo  _ hated _ it when he was wrong,  _ especially _ when she was right. But here he was, back at it again as a manager, slipping back into his old habits… It was exactly as she had said he would do.

He wanted to pull out now, walk away as he had before and ignore everything to do with the managers, but then he remembered Hisoka and he paused.

Hisoka had come into the business like Chrollo and Feitan had, in revenge of a fallen loved one. Specifically, it was their respective mothers that they had wanted to avenge. And while the magician pretended like he wasn’t actually affected by any of it, Chrollo knew what he was going through. No one’s first kill ever truly leaves them. No one ever forgets the reasons, the emotions, the physical exhaustion and mental exertion put into such a hastily made execution.

The Grudge Rule forced most to move quickly, and even if some had more time to plan than others, the  _ want _ to dish out revenge always exceeded the actual  _ need _ to act before the clock ran out. It always made things go faster.

But even though Hisoka reacted quickly, he never left the scene of the crime. Just waited for the police, calmly, patiently, and was put through trial. He, of course, won, having done his vengeance underneath his Grudge Limit, but it wasn’t enough for him. How could it be? His mother’s killers had it too easy. A simple and quick death in the wake of his mother’s suffering.

Hisoka couldn’t let go of that fact, so he became a manager, not only for his personal issues, but because eventually he  _ also _ didn’t want other people to carry those regrets either.

Chrollo frowned. He couldn’t let Hisoka’s killer get away with what they’d done. Hisoka was like family, was like a protector to those who paid him. They shouldn’t have taken him from the world so soon.

And they wouldn’t take anyone else either, not as long as he had any say in it.


	9. Advance

When Chrollo got oddly silent and contemplative, Kurapika decided to leave him be for once, because as far as he knew, pushing for something to happen had mixed results with the taller man. So he waited for Chrollo to finish up his existential crisis (and beef lo mein) before he scooted his chair over next to him. When he didn’t respond immediately, Kurapika reached over and grabbed one of his hands, startling Chrollo back to reality.

“Oh, hi,” Chrollo shifted in his seat, looking a little lost. Kurapika smiled at him.

“Hey,” he said, squeezing his hand a little bit. “You okay now?”

“Okay? Yeah I… I think so,” Chrollo said, nodding as he said so, as if trying to convince himself. He hesitated, then squeezed Kurapika’s hand back. “How long did I stay silent?”

Kurapika shrugged. “Ten minutes? Thirty? I don’t know.”

“I’m sorry, I–” started Chrollo, but Kurapika put a finger to his mouth before he could continue.

“It’s fine, you don't need to apologize for that. You’re going through a lot so I’m not expecting much. Just know I’m here for you for whatever you need.”

“Whatever I need?” Chrollo questioned, then smiled. “Even a million dollars?”

“I’m pretty sure you don’t need  _ that,” _ Kurapika said, elbowing him lightly. “You’re already rich enough that I think you can survive without my donations. Besides, I meant maybe hug or something. You know, to comfort you.”

“I… could use a hug, now that you mention it,” Chrollo said, giving Kurapika a shy smile as he did. “Though I really don’t feel like getting up to do it.”

“That’s fine,” Kurapika said, an idea popping into his head. The idea was _ definitely _ embarrassing, but if he could pull it off as nonchalant, hopefully it wouldn’t come off as weird. Or make Chrollo question what he was doing. “I can work with that.”

Kurapika let go of Chrollo’s hand and placed it on his shoulder, got up from his own chair, and then straddled Chrollo. Kurapika did his best to keep a straight face when he finally settled onto Chrollo’s lap, but he could feel that his face was burning and that his clothes  _ definitely  _ felt tighter. He glanced up and saw that Chrollo was also quite red in the face.  _ Well, that made two of them in that department then. _

“This isn’t exactly how I envisioned this going,” Chrollo murmured, as if he’d lost his breath. Kurapika quirked an eyebrow at him, trying to still pull this whole thing off as casual.

“What’d you think I was going to do? Hug you while standing next to your chair?”

Chrollo laughed, leaning forward and laying his forehead onto the blonde’s shoulder. Kurapika’s heart rate skyrocketed and he took in a quiet breath to try and stay level-headed, but found himself taking in the smell of Chrollo’s shampoo and the fading scent of his cologne. It only served to make his reaction worse.

“No, I just didn’t think you were the type to do this,” Chrollo said, ignorant to Kurapika response, his arms wrapping around the blonde’s waist and pulling him closer. Kurapika felt himself make a small squeak, but it was thankfully mostly air, making it too quiet for anyone but himself to hear. He sighed inwardly in relief. Oblivious, Chrollo remarked, “I can’t say I’m not fond of it though.”

“Why’s that?” Kurapika asked, wrapping his arms around Chrollo’s back while hoping to keep the other man talking. Both to enjoy the moment longer and to keep the other man from noticing how much of an effect he had on Kurapika. He just had to avoid getting any closer.  _ Easy enough. _

“Because to say I disliked it would be a lie, and I already said I wouldn’t lie to you anymore.” Chrollo pulled away from the hug but left his hands resting on Kurapika’s hips and gave him an inquiring look. “Is that okay with you?”

“Perfectly fine,” said Kurapika smiling, leaning forward onto his elbows that rested on Chrollo’s shoulders. His hands came back to prop up under his chin, his face becoming dangerously close to Chrollo’s. He struggled to hold onto his mask of indifference while maintaining his smile. “And since we’re being honest here, I have a confession.”

“Oh? Do you?” Chrollo asked, and it barely got above a whisper. Kurapika couldn’t help but notice that Chrollo’s face was tinged a slightly darker shade of red. It brought him great satisfaction to know he  _ also  _ had an affect on the older man, and he couldn’t hold back his grin when it came to his face.

“I do. Remember how you brought up that one time? That one night full of ‘regrets’. That happened back ‘there’?” Kurapika took a pause for the dramatic effect, and Chrollo barely made a move to nod, caught up in the suspense. The blonde leaned in a little closer, as close as he would dare, and was almost touching the other man’s nose with his own when he stopped. “Well, I must say, my only regret about that time was that it ended too early.”

“Ah,” Chrollo swallowed, and if Kurapika wasn’t mistaken, Chrollo was  _ definitely  _ turned on by that. He couldn’t help but widen his smile at the older man, who took a while to regain his voice. “You… you’re flirting with me, aren’t you?”

Kurapika blinked dumbfounded at Chrollo a few times before he burst out laughing, pushing himself away from the other man, but Chrollo’s hold on Kurapika kept him from falling off of his lap.

“Me? Flirting? I—haha—can’t tell if you’re asking because you’re  _ dense _ or if—pfft hahahaha—or if it’s because you’re  _ short-circuiting!” _

“Oh come on Kurapika,” Chrollo said exasperatedly, the blush on his face bright enough now that he looked like he’d just got sunburned. Kurapika couldn’t stop another wave of giggles from overcoming him at the sight of it. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“I’m not, I’m just–” Kurapika took in a deep breath of air then sighed with a smile. He briefly wondered about what happened to his plan of being “casual” and unobvious.  _ Oh well. Time to be forward and obvious then. _ “Just let me kiss you, okay?”

Chrollo gave him a surprised look but didn’t protest when Kurapika leaned in and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips. Chrollo’s lips were chapped, but so were Kurapika’s, so he resolved not to make a comment about it. When he pulled away, Chrollo was staring at him as if starstruck.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Chrollo said, then blinked. “No, actually, I was thinking.”

“Thinking?” said Kurapika, tilting his head.  _ Of what? _

“Of how lucky I am.”

“To be held hostage on a chair with no hope of escape?”

“To be held ‘hostage’ in the arms of the one I love,” Chrollo corrected, and then it was Kurapika’s turn to flush at the other man’s words.

“That’s not fair.”

“It never is.”

“Then make it fair.”

A pause.

“Okay.”

And then Chrollo leaned forward and mimicked the kiss Kurapika gave him, but slower and with more care, as if they’d never kissed before then. It didn’t have the dizzying effect their previous kisses had had, and it was somewhat of a relief to be able to experience the feeling of kissing each so calmly rather than riding through everything on emotions. Kurapika smiled into the kiss, finding it sweet how Chrollo was actually intent on making it seem like a more even playing field. Even though it wasn’t going to be for long. Not with how he planned to exploit it at least.

Just as the kiss was ending, Kurapika took ahold of a small tangle of locks in the older man’s hair with one hand and pulled back on it lightly, making Chrollo give an alluring gasp when they separated, his mouth opened rather seductively. Kurapika took a moment to take in the state Chrollo was in: his body was leaning back onto the chair held back by his head, neck flushed and fully exposed, breathing slightly hastened, and knuckles white from gripping at the sides of the chair to keep his hands busy and to maintain his balance. Kurapika noted that Chrollo was actively avoiding any way of touching him, as if doing so would break whatever kind of atmosphere they were in. It amused Kurapika a bit.

“Why hold yourself back?” Kurapika asked, using his free hand to slide up Chrollo’s torso, pushing up his shirt and exposing his stomach. He let his fingers slide over the other man’s abs for a moment before moving them quickly to the side, too embarrassed to keep them there. Chrollo breathed out a shaky laugh.

“Technically,  _ you’re _ holding me back.” He paused, then added, “With your hand.”

“Should I let go—”

“No,” Chrollo said, his response a little too quick, catching Kurapika off guard. He coughed awkwardly, his hands shifting where they held the side of the chair. “I… prefer this.”

Kurapika blinked at him, not sure if he heard him right, but the more he reviewed what he’d said, the more it became clear that Chrollo was  _ very _ into what Kurapika was doing.  _ Almost as if… _

“Chrollo, is this your k—”

“Kiss me,” said Chrollo, his voice surprisingly desperate and his legs shuffled underneath Kurapika’s weight apprehensively. “Please.”

Kurapika wasn’t going deny Chrollo’s request, especially since he had asked  _ so  _ nicely, but he decided to get to it gradually. The hand that held at Chrollo’s hair tightened and his free hand moved up the side of his rib cage and stopped to cup at a pec, causing Chrollo to shudder and arch his back. Kurapika bent in to nuzzle in the crook of Chrollo’s neck, giving light pecks where the hairline met the skin and trailed them up to his earlobe, pausing, then nibbling at the cartilage above his earring.

“Kurapika—”

“Shh, I’m getting there,” Kurapika reassured before Chrollo could finish his whine, his voice tickling at the other man, making him flinch.  _ Oh I’m having way too much fun with this, _ Kurapika thought to himself, feeling heady that almost everything he did now had a guaranteed reaction from Chrollo.

He moved up on Chrollo’s lap, wanting to get closer to the other man, and was instantly reminded of why he had abstained from much movement at all. His attention was also focused on how he had apparently given Chrollo the same reaction he had been given earlier. When he scooted up just a bit more Chrollo’s breath went ragged.

Laughter was heard from outside the apartment and was becoming louder with several voices talking at the same time.

“Neighbors,” Chrollo explained without prompt, or maybe it was in irritation that they were being disturbed. Kurapika would never know, because when Chrollo was going to say something else, Kurapika leaned in and sucked at Chrollo’s throat. The noise that instead came out of the other man was something between a yelp and a moan.

As Kurapika cycled between licking, sucking, and lightly scraping his teeth at Chrollo’s skin, he felt the older man grasp at the back of his shirt and tug harshly. The collar of Kurapika’s shirt was in the other man’s grasp, and the tug pulled him away from Chrollo’s neck and had him release his grip on his hair too, which made Kurapika’s main concern shift into stopping his descent off the chair. He threw his hand behind him and caught himself from landing on the edge of the table.

Kurapika wasn’t even able to adjust his balance of himself when Chrollo grabbed ahold of his face with both hands and kissed him, giving a hum of satisfaction that made Kurapika’s lips feel tingly. He allowed for Chrollo to deepen the kiss, letting one arm wrap around his shoulders and the other arm push off from the table and lean his body up against Chrollo so that he’d no longer be suspended mid-fall.

When they broke for air, Kurapika nudged Chrollo’s forehead with his own.

“I  _ said _ I was getting there,” Kurapika said with a laugh, and Chrollo shrugged.

“You were taking too long,” Chrollo said with a smile. “And I’m very impatient, as you know.”

“Of course,” said Kurapika with a smile of his own. He kissed Chrollo on the tip of his nose. “But next time you’ll wait longer.”

“Next time?” Chrollo asked with a hint of disbelief in his voice, and Kurapika stuck his tongue out at him.

“Only if you earn it.”

“What do I have to do to get your approval? Take you out to another fancy date?”

“With fancy food included? Absolutely,” Kurapika said with a laugh. “And nothing less can satisfy me.”

“Oh my, you were right! There is no hope of escape from your perilous hold over me!” said Chrollo dramatically, leaning back in the chair and draping an arm over his face as if he were a damsel in distress. “Your greed knows no bounds, and I must suffer the consequences!”

Kurapika laughed at his antics, then they were laughing together, leaning on each others shoulders and trying to quell their outbursts of giggling and chuckles when they heard a loud  _ thunk  _ of a car door outside.

Kurapika was still trying to calm down from his laughter when Chrollo shushed him, putting a finger on his lips to quiet him. There was some stomping up the stairs outside that got Kurapika to stop, his curiosity finally getting the better of him and forcing him to tune into what was going on outside.

There was silence and then they both heard the front door start  _ click _ ing, and before they could separate completely from each other, Feitan burst into the apartment with a panicked look on his face. He seemed way too rushed to be bothered by their entangled state.

“The knives, from the kitchen,” Feitan gasped out, “They’re gone!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahahahaha so that chapter was certainly..... something huh? But to be fair, if you think YOU'RE embarrassed, just remember that I had to write the whole thing!! Asdkjbsfdkfjbsfkjdv anyway, please kudos, subscribe, and comment about wHAT PART YOU HAD TO STOP READING AND WALK AWAY FROM PLEASE AND THANK YOU


	10. Drive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of author's notes, I uploaded all these chapters at around the same time so I didn't have much time to go back an add a whole bunch, only for a few. Anyway, ya'll are almost finished with this part!! So exciting!! Well, at least I'm excited XD
> 
> (Also, my computer keeps trying to correct "ya'll" to "y'all" and it makes me viscerally uncomfortable seeing it spelt the latter way... *shiver*)

Chrollo didn’t even have a fraction of a second to react to Feitan's news before Kurapika was already standing up, dragging Chrollo along with him.

“Let's go then,” Kurapika said, a little out of breath, and Feitan gave him a side glance that was basically a look of  _ “Where do you think  _ you’re _ going?” _ Kurapika’s response seemed to bring Feitan down from his panicked state, but it also put him into an stubborn state instead.  _ Great.  _ When Kurapika didn’t back down from Feitan’s glare, he turned it to Chrollo.

_ “First you let him take command of your heart, and now you let him take command of your mission?” _ spit out Feitan in Chinese, and Chrollo sighed.  _ We do not have time for this right now. _

_ “He hasn’t taken command of anything Feitan,” _ said Chrollo exhaustedly back in Chinese, frowning at his brother.  _ “And if anything, he’s just trying to help.” _

Feitan kept glaring at him, then asked  _ “Are you letting him join because you think he’d be useful or because he’s a good fuck?” _

“Feitan!”

Kurapika was looking between them looking confused, the only word he seemed to understand being Feitan’s name. He looked at Chrollo and Chrollo shook his head. There was no way he was translating this.

_ “He hasn’t joined yet.” _

_ “Yet?”  _ asked Feitan, the anger in his voice increasing.  _ “When I left I knew you’d reconcile but putting the mission in danger because of personal feelings is out-of-character, even for you." _

_ “Don’t be difficult. We need all the help we can get and he’s already tried to get involved before. I won’t stop him this time.” _

_ “And if he gets hurt?”  _ said Feitan smugly. Chrollo paused in his retort, his mind not providing any legitimate answers he could use to fight Feitan with. Feitan smiled and nodded.  _ “That’s what I thought. The whole reason you didn’t let him join before was because he would be in danger by association, right? What happened there?” _

Chrollo sighed.

_ “...It’s not my decision to make. He’s his own person and I—” _

_ “Didn’t think to ask your brother if he was okay with it?”  _ interrupted Feitan, hands on his hips.  _ “Did you ever stop to think if I was okay with it?” _

_ “...Are you okay with it?”  _ Chrollo asked after a while, and Feitan frowned.

_ “No.” _

Chrollo never once wanted anything more than to strangle his brother in that moment, but Kurapika stepped between them before he could try.

“I don’t know what’s going on and I don’t think I want to know, but if I’m not mistaken this information is time sensitive, is it not?” Kurapika asked to Feitan matter of factly, who still continued to glare at him.

“It is.”

“Then whatever you two are arguing about can be put on hold until we start heading to the objective.”

“And what exactly are  _ you _ going to do when we get there?” Feitan asked, and Chrollo internally groaned. “This work is dangerous and—”

“I can handle myself, thank you.” Kurapika interrupted, walking to the front door as if to prompt them to come with him. “If you don’t believe me, ask your brother how my punches feel.”

Chrollo subconsciously put a hand to his face where he’d been punched multiple times, and Feitan rolled his eyes. They began to follow Kurapika out of the apartment.

_ “It can’t be that bad,”  _ Feitan remarked under his breath in barely audible Chinese, pausing before the stairwell to wait for Chrollo.

_ “I was once knocked over a couch by his punch Feitan. His fury is not to be messed with,”  _ Chrollo said to his brother, locking the door behind him. Feitan chuckled.

_ “Ha! Either you’ve grown weak, or the recruitment office overlooked him!” _

Chrollo gave a sharp look at Feitan.

_ “I, for one, am glad he wasn’t recruited.” _

_ “Because he would’ve stolen your job?” _

_ “Because I think he’s happier without it.” _

Feitan shrugged as if it didn't matter anymore, hopping off the last step of the stairs and basically ending their discussion whether Chrollo wanted to speak more about it or not. 

“Blondie, we’re taking my car. It’s faster than yours,” Feitan told Kurapika as he walked by him, and Kurapika gave Chrollo a look.

“What is with everyone calling me ‘blondie’ all of a sudden?”

Chrollo mimicked Feitan’s shrug from earlier and followed his brother, taking the passenger seat after calling out “Shotgun!” with excitement that made Feitan briefly smile at his antics.

“Just get in the car,” he said, and Chrollo obliged with Kurapika following suit. Feitan started the car and began to drive before Chrollo could get his seatbelt on.

“Hey—”

_ “He’s allowed to join on one condition,”  _ Feitan said, not taking his eyes off the road. Chrollo paused.

_ “What condition?” _

_ “That you two keep that lovey-dovey stuff at home and stay focused on the task at hand.” _

_ “That sounds like two conditions,”  _ Chrollo teased, and Feitan made a disgruntled noise.

_ “Don’t make me take back my generosity.” _

“Alright, fiiiiine.”

“Fine what?” Kurapika asked from the back, perking up at the only English they had used the entire conversation. Feitan waved him off with a hand before making sharp turn right that threw everyone to the side of the car.

“Really?!” Kurapika said in outrage, and Feitan snickered at him.

_ “Don’t get carried away with your teasing,”  _ Chrollo warned with a smile,  _ “then you’ll be taking my job.” _

_ “Ew Chrollo!”  _ Feitan laughed, albeit while trying to hit him with a spare hand.  _ “Don’t make this weird!” _

“He didn’t mean it as rude Kurapika, he just likes you more than he wants to admit,” Chrollo continued when Feitan’s hand collided with his face.

“I do not! Don’t go spewing blasphemy!” Feitan said with some blush on his face.

“Aaww, you do like him!” Chrollo pointed out, and Kurapika was laughing.

“Not in the way you do though!”

“You sure? Could’ve fooled me,” said Chrollo as he poked at Feitan’s side, his hand getting swatted at for every attempt.

“I— I will not defend myself against you naysayer! I plead only to the Court of Kurapika!” Feitan said, and Kurapika leaned forward between their seats as if he was summoned. Chrollo was glad to see Kurapika smiling when he came into view, happy that him and his brother were getting along.

“Then how do you plead to these chargers, Mr. Feitan?”

“Not guilty,” said Feitan with some irritation but also some confidence.

“Then the court is adjourned! Final ruling: not guilty!” Kurapika said with a laugh, and Chrollo shook his head.

“You didn’t even ask for the prosecution’s opinion.”

“I don’t need to, I’m the judge afterall. Therefore I already know everything.”

“That is  _ not _ how court works,” Chrollo wanted to say, but didn’t, as Feitan laughed.

“Well then  _ judge, _ ” said Feitan with a brief glance back at the blonde, “what does Chrollo want to talk to you about then?”

Kurapika blinked.

“I was unaware he had an inquiry for me.”

_ “Brother,”  _ Chrollo said, and Feitan flashed him a grin before shifting gears and driving the car ever faster down the street. Chrollo shook his head.

“Kurapika, in amendment for my behavior a month ago, I’d like to propose to you something,” Chrollo said, turning his head as much as he could to see Kurapika in the backseat.

“Should I be concerned or…?”

“That depends. Do you want to help track down Hisoka’s killer?” Kurapika stared at him with wide, awestruck eyes, and Chrollo had to continue before he lost his train of thought. “I know, originally, I had barred you from joining, but I mean it this time. I’ll give you whatever job you want, as long as you think you can do it. I won’t stop you this time. Promise.”

There was a long pause where Kurapika stared at Chrollo, and just when it was starting to get to uncomfortable to bear, Kurapika began to laugh.

“You don’t—haha—I said I’d go after Hisoka’s killer cause you wouldn’t listen to me, not because I wanted a job!”

“Wait, so it was a bluff?” Chrollo asked incredulously, and Kurapika huffed at that.

“It was, yes, but I definitely would’ve gone hunting them if you had kept kicking me out.”

“But I let you in eventually, didn't I?”

“You wouldn’t let me in to begin with though,” Kurapika pointed out and Feitan chuckled at that.

“Fair,” Chrollo conceded. “But would you still like to help? Feitan and I could use an extra person, and if you were willing to hunt for them then, then maybe you would now?”

“I will consider,” Kurapika said carefully after some thought, then gave Chrollo a small smile. “However, I don’t think it has as much appeal to it anymore if you’re not chasing me.”

Chrollo blinked.

“Do you… want me to?” he asked cautiously, but before Kurapika could answer Feitan made a disgusted noise.

“Could you two  _ concentrate _ for one  _ damn  _ second?”

“What? I didn’t do anything!” Chrollo said, holding up his hands as if to show he was clean.

“Oh, I know you weren’t, but  _ someone,” _ Feitan emphasized, looking in the mirror to make eye contact with Kurapika, “was trying to  _ flirt  _ with my brother  _ in front of me!” _

“At least  _ you’re  _ not dense,” Kurapika said, and Chrollo gaped at him, offended that he’d say that about him.  _ My perception is impeccable! _

“I am not!”

“Just a little bit then,” Kurapika amended, and then turned to look outside the car when Feitan jerked to a stop. “What… are you doing?”

“What do you mean what am I doing?” Feitan asked. “We’re here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Upon further evaluation I think I've been typing y'all wrong have a good night folks please press "F" to pay your respects


	11. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter! It was hard to get here but it was totally worth it to me, I just hope it was worth it to you guys too! Also, as soon as I'm able, I will try to add links to the works of art made for this part either at the end of this chapter in the notes or in the notes of the appropriate chapter where the art references! (Either way, all the art links will be put at the end of this chapter's notes for simplicity sake.)
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy the last chapter of Part II!

It only took them a few minutes to make it to the kitchen that Feitan and Chrollo had spoken about, and it made Kurapika uneasy for some reason, even if he couldn’t place exactly why he felt that way. He leaned on a nearby counter top and inspected its surface, but found that the counter was freshly cleaned. _Do they clean places they investigate?_ Kurapika wondered, but left his thoughts in order to tune into what Chrollo was saying.

“So the knives are gone?” Chrollo asked in confirmation, and Feitan slid open a drawer to show it contents.

“Gone with the wind.”

“Nerd.”

“Shut up. Look at what was left behind.”

Kurapika turned his attention to what was inside the drawer and saw a heart-shaped vial with a cap on it and some fancy, cursive letters on the front of it. Kurapika raised an eyebrow at it.

“It’s perfume. So what?”

Feitan blinked at him.

“You haven’t even inspected it yet, how are you sure?” Feitan asked, and Kurapika shrugged.

“My mom buys that same brand… Are you sure this has something to do with Hisoka’s case?” Kurapika asked, feeling a little disappointed with how anticlimactic the reveal was. Feitan gave a frown.

“Yeah. We think so, at least.”

Chrollo didn’t respond, instead his attention was hyper-fixated on the bottle. He picked it up as Kurapika sighed.

“‘Think so,’ huh? Well I’ll be outside then. Check the perimeter or something like that,” Kurapika told Feitan and Chrollo, but only Feitan responded.

“Be careful then. I don’t know how recently the killer has been back to this location.”

Kurapika nodded and turned to make his way out of the kitchen when Chrollo spoke to Feitan in a hushed voice.

“Feitan, this perfume is… it’s strawberry scented.”

“Yeah? And?” Feitan asked, and Kurapika closed the door behind him.

He sighed, wondering if maybe they had set up this whole thing to make him feel better about not having any help to actually offer in a real investigation, but quickly shook the thought away. Chrollo wouldn’t do that, and no matter how ill-tempered his brother was, neither would he.

Kurapika began to walk down the stairs near the place they were inspecting and out towards the only street that the parking lot was attached to. He tried to think of something he could do that’d be helpful other than identifying a perfume bottle when a police car drove past him startling fast.

He made a start that almost made him fall over but caught himself, looking about for what he had missed. Was there a crime nearby that none of them were aware of that could link them to Hisoka’s killer? He had to find out.

He started lightly jogging the way the police car went, following the siren and the burst of lights as his guide. Every now and then he would lose track of the car, but conveniently another police car would always drive somewhere close by, redirecting Kurapika to his destination.

He ran like that for around fifteen minutes when he found where all the police cars were gathering. Where they had stopped was a small motel area complete with a fenced off pool area that could easily be jumped over. It looks like they had a lot of police officers searching through all the rooms on the right side of the complex. Some K-9 units were sniffing around as well, compelling Kurapika to stop a few meters away.

As he caught his breath, he wondered just how far he had gotten from Chrollo and Feitan and if he’d be able to make it back to them. He suddenly wished he paid more attention to the street signs so he could find his way back.

He checked his phone, wondering if they’d noticed his absence yet, but it seemed not. Kurapika briefly considered telling them why he’d left and the general direction of where he’d gone but he shook his head at himself. If he could get valuable information for the case by himself, he could prove himself worthy of being on the team. _Not that I need to prove myself, it’d just be nice to be accepted without doubt._

Kurapika began to walk over to the area where the police cars were when he saw a shadow dart into a nearby alley way. He hesitated for only a moment before he ran after it, no real plan in mind other than finding out who it was. And find out he did. He wasn’t even in a few feet into the darkness of the alley way when he ran into someone.

“Ow! What the—” then there was a long silence before, “Kurapika?”

“What?” Kurapika looked around but couldn’t see anything, let alone the other person. _How do they know me?_ “Who are you?”

“Oh, right!” the voice said as if remembering something silly, and Kurapika could _swear_ he’d heard the voice before. A few moments later and a light shone to the ground of the alleyway, lighting up the other person’s shoes. It traveled up the side of the wall and to their face where Kurapika had to stop himself from reacting in shock.

“Pairo? What are you doing here? I thought you were with Mom and Dad?” Kurapika asked, flabbergasted as to why his friend was here.

“And I thought you had a late job call?” Pairo asked back with an easy smile, and Kurapika hesitated.

“I—” he licked at his chapped lips. “I did. I had a delivery to make, and on the way back I saw the police over there and got curious…”

Pairo’s face fell a bit but then he gave another smile.

“Speaking of which, we should probably go. Don't want them thinking we did anything right?” said Pairo, taking Kurapika’s wrist and dragging him along with him.

“Wait, where are we going? I have to get back to work,” Kurapika said, unable to take his arm out of Pairo’s grasp.

“It won’t take long,” Pairo assured. “Some friends of mine are nearby so they can give you a lift back after we’re done!”

Kurapika gave him a smile, but it was an obsolete action when Pairo turned off the light and kept dragging Kurapika along with him, eventually making it to an old van that had the door already open and a black haired woman standing next to it.

“Hey Shizuku! We’re ready to go!” Pairo said as he jumped in, forcing Kurapika to go along with him. Shizuku came in after them and closed the door firmly.

“Who is that?” she asked, and Pairo gave a smile.

“An old friend of mine.”

Shizuku accepted the answer without further questioning then hit the side of the van twice.

“Everyone is in Shalnark.”

“Aaalright-y then!” a voice from the front said, and Kurapika shot a look at Pairo.

“My _cousin_ is here and you didn’t think to tell Mom and Dad?” Kurapika asked incredulously. “Or do they already know?”

“I just happened to find him is all. Crazy that we both came back home at the same time right?” Pairo laughed with ease. Kurapika frowned. “Shal, say hi to Kurapika! He’s with us!”

“Whoa, what? Hey cuz!” Shalnark said from the front, turning back to catch a glimpse of him. “Glad to see ya with us? Where should I drop you off?”

“He’s coming with us first,” Pairo said for him. “I want him to meet someone first.”

“...Are you sure?” Shalnark asked, and Kurapika saw Shizuku and another person in the van look to Pairo for his answer as Shalnark had to turn back to the road.

“Of course. It’ll only take a minute.”

“Whatever you say,” Shalnark said before taking out his phone and texting on it, still managing to make a smooth turn while finishing his message. “I’ll let the others know.”

“Thanks.”

“Pairo, where are we headed?” Kurapika asked, ignoring his phone vibrating with texts undoubtedly from Chrollo asking where he went. He wouldn't dare risk answering them right now when everything about this felt so… suspicious.

Pairo didn’t answer him directly and just said “You’ll see,” before turning to Shizuku and the man that looked like a dressed-down samurai to talk about the new coffee he had just recently tried. Kurapika quickly turned his phone off when no one was looking so that even the vibrations wouldn’t give him away. He didn’t want to have to answer anything and reveal that he wasn’t actually at work. For some reason, he felt it’d be a bad idea to let Pairo know.

It took them at least a half hour to get to their destination, and when the van came to a stop, Pairo got Kurapika to jump out first. They all piled out of the van, then led the blond into the building in front of which they had parked.

The building looked like it was an abandoned factory that had been recycled as an office building which had also been vacated. The lights inside were on and emitted a dull orange glow, barely flickering, which made Kurapika’s eyes hurt from the strain of trying to adjust to the luminosity. Further into the building and down a few halls, they came to a staircase that Pairo lead them down in, only slowing when the lighting got too faint.

When they finally got out of the stairway, Kurapika was greeted with the most well-lit room in the factory. It looked like a movie production studio minus the bustling movement of actors. Instead on the sidelines and shadows of the room were other people sitting on chairs or boxes and holding books as they all looked up at the arrival of Kurapika and his group. As greetings were shouted out to everyone, Kurapika found interest in the a giant video camera that signalled that it was recording. He traced a line to the spot where it was shooting and had to wait for his eyes to adjust to the brightness of the set in contrast to the rest of the room before he could see what it was filming, and when he did, he held his breath.

On the far end of the room, a bunch of headlights were shining down on a slumped over man with fading red hair chained down to a chair, sweat and blood having already soaked and dried onto his clothes, yet there seemed to be new injuries on him as well, like the swelling bruise on his cheek and fresh blood trickling from his forehead and mouth.

Pairo gently took Kurapika’s elbow and lead them closer, the man stirring and lifting his head when he heard someone approaching. As soon as the man in the seat spotted Kurapika though, he stopped, surprise and recognition obvious on his deformed facial features. Kurapika could feel his face change to have the same shocked expression, could feel the entire world stop as he heard a bell ring in the distance, slowly and deliberately.

“How are you today? Hurting a bit, possibly?” Pairo asked the man cheerfully, but Kurapika’s mind was racing a thousand miles a minute. _How... why? It couldn’t be him... it shouldn’t be… but..._

He couldn’t muster enough courage to raise any questions to his childhood friend, but could only stare at the man who was stretching his neck as much as he could, spine cracking as he moved it in time with the bell chimes. A waft of air came from the man; he smelt faintly of strawberries. Kurapika wanted run. When the man finished his stretches, Pairo’s voice rang out loudly, making Kurapika flinch.

“I see you’re as adamant as ever on staying silent on what really matters Hisoka. But really, you should have better manners than this. Surely, you at least recognize our guest?”

The clock outside struck for the eleventh time, and Hisoka settled his gaze on Kurapika before giving him a crooked smile.

“No, I do not.”

**End of Part II**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Art created for this fic](http://johncenalover2002.tumblr.com/post/175346276009/troupe-misc-3-for-hxhbb18-kinsdura-goldwe) by the lovely johncenalover2002!! Thank you for doing art for this series again!!


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